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Briggs Cunningham pics
- Thread starter AN5Sprite
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aeronca65t
Great Pumpkin
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Wow! That is very, very cool. Great that you are scanning those photos to preserve them.
Cunningham was not only a great racer (as well as being wealthy and good-looking), but he was also an excellent sailor. He won the 1958 America's Cup race in his racing yacht, "Columbia".
As you may know, Cunningham brought one of the first Ferraris to the USA. And he entered it in the 1949 Watkins Glen Grand Prix. Meanwhile Sam and Miles Collier built a "hot rod" Riley with a Mercury flathead engine and entered it in the same race. The Collier car was called the "Ardent Alligator" and was considered more of a low-grade jalopy. Cunningham's exotic Ferrari was expected to win the race and he did hold the lead up to the last lap. Then Miles Collier made a daring pass on the last turn and the Alligator won by just seconds.
Collier's car is now owned by my friend Peter McManus. I have raced against the Alligator many times.
So that's my degrees of separation for Briggs Cunningham. :laugh:
You can see me chasing the Alligator (red, #39) in ~THIS~ rainy practice session. Great fun.
Cunningham was not only a great racer (as well as being wealthy and good-looking), but he was also an excellent sailor. He won the 1958 America's Cup race in his racing yacht, "Columbia".
As you may know, Cunningham brought one of the first Ferraris to the USA. And he entered it in the 1949 Watkins Glen Grand Prix. Meanwhile Sam and Miles Collier built a "hot rod" Riley with a Mercury flathead engine and entered it in the same race. The Collier car was called the "Ardent Alligator" and was considered more of a low-grade jalopy. Cunningham's exotic Ferrari was expected to win the race and he did hold the lead up to the last lap. Then Miles Collier made a daring pass on the last turn and the Alligator won by just seconds.
Collier's car is now owned by my friend Peter McManus. I have raced against the Alligator many times.
So that's my degrees of separation for Briggs Cunningham. :laugh:
You can see me chasing the Alligator (red, #39) in ~THIS~ rainy practice session. Great fun.
Banjo
Yoda
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I've seen the Alligator several times. It's local legend here. It's rarer to see the Cunningham cars show up at the Glen, but always a treat. Bob Gellespie painted a giant mural on the exterior wall of one of the shops in Watkins, and it features a Cunningham car. Love that painting. If you're heading south on Rt. 14 you'll see it on your left as you head through town.
Those pics of Mr. Cunningham are fantastic. Thanks for sharing. Nice D-type too.
Those pics of Mr. Cunningham are fantastic. Thanks for sharing. Nice D-type too.
aeronca65t
Great Pumpkin
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Love the battery position and fuse box on the dash. :thumbsup:
OP
AN5Sprite
Jedi Knight
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John, that is Thompson. My dad spent a lot of time there before (mostly) he started racing TQ Midgets.
What always surprises me is the position of the steering wheel in the Scarab. It's more like a midget/sprint car. I noticed that the Cunningham C4s were the same way.
What always surprises me is the position of the steering wheel in the Scarab. It's more like a midget/sprint car. I noticed that the Cunningham C4s were the same way.
D
Deleted member 8987
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Doesn't surprise me about the Merc. 255 base, bore it i80, put an arm in it, you can get, oh, 302 or 308 cubes......Isky cam, ported and relieved, Kong or Vertex mag, three twos, headers and pipes, they will surprise the snot out of a lot of folks.
Mine is 275...stock Merc crank, 120 over....just so I have room for more.
I think they were still whipping Chevy's regularly until they upped the small bock to 327.
Mine is 275...stock Merc crank, 120 over....just so I have room for more.
I think they were still whipping Chevy's regularly until they upped the small bock to 327.